The Economic Costs of the War in Iraq

Government policies are routinely subjected to rigorous cost analyses. Yet one of today's most controversial and expensive policies - the ongoing war in Iraq - has not been. The $212 billion allocated by the U.S. Treasury has been widely reported. But the real, direct economic costs include more than budgetary allocations. Other costs include lives lost, injuries, and lost civilian productivity of National Guard and Reserve troops mobilized for the conflict. The conflict, however, also has generated cost savings, especially in terms of resources no longer being used to enforce UN sanctions and people no longer being killed by Saddam Hussein's regime.